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andcorde · 4 months

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Talking in your sleep

Summary : you woke up during your sleep, thirsty and hear your husband talking in his sleep about a girl.

pairing : young!president Snow x f!First Lady!reader.

warnings : physical and psychological violence (strangling and swearing iykyk), smut (not REALLY explicit), Coriolanus is his own warning, toxic!relationship, dark!reader, possessive!reader (if there’s more lmk please !!)

a/n : first fic posted here, I’ve got the idea from the song « talking in your sleep » by the romantics (you should know them, at least if you’ve seen the FNAF movie :)). It’s a late valentine day post btw.

Hope you’ll enjoy it !

dividers by @saradika-graphics !

Your throat just feels completely dry which wake you up. You sigh in annoyance, having to get up without waking up your husband, which is a tough task, just to take a glass of water. It happens often, but you were really tired of this dangerous mission of not waking up the lightest sleeper in the world.

Coriolanus Snow, the young President of Panem and you, his First Lady, married since a year and a half, are the most important and influential people in this place. Everybody was either jealous of Coryo or you because of how charming and affectionate you are.

You slowly lift the duvet and get out of bed as gently as possible, not waking your husband, only making him sigh before turning around. You walk as quietly as a mouse as you make your way straight to the bathroom you both shared.

Your marriage seemed like a pure fairytale, full of love and happiness, even if none of this was true to you two. You just accepted together, like a contract between individuals seeing the economic benefits and also the popularity of both of your families to get married. None of you were even slightly attracted romantically to each other, but on the sexual side…it was otherwise.

Even if Coryo agreed to not giving you a heir for a couple of years, it doesn’t mean you don’t have fun, straddling his cock time to time, letting him eating out your sweet and soaked pussy just for him.

You reach the bathroom with a smirk at your thoughts, opening it silently and entering in it, closing the door and turning on the soft light. You brought a glass and gently run the water into it, crossing your fingers that the sound alone isn't enough to wake the sleeping platinum blonde. Well it already happens before, so now you’re careful.

You get out of the bathroom as quietly as you get in, sipping your glass of water, not seeming to have woke him. He seems pretty asleep, which is really rare, you thought to yourself. He seems to dream, seeing his facial expressions slightly changed from the calm and relaxed one.

His lips parted slightly, he seems to say something. You never see him like that, so profoundly asleep, you keep looking for a few seconds before stopping you from acting odd and put the water on the nightstand.

« …Lucy Gray…please » He whispers. So low you could have misheard.

But no, you were sure you heard those words coming from his most sleepy and pathetic voice. You feel yourself being totally freeze for a few seconds, as if those simple words as awaken something completely uncontrollable in your body.

Anger. Even more devastating than any other feeling. The possessiveness of Coryo wasn’t a one-side thing, both of you were pretty possessive to the fact that you were his, and he was yours. None of you could denied that, getting pretty dangerous when people approached a bit too much one of you.

You blink a few times, motioning yourself to get back in bed like nothing happened. You let yourself be more loudly, because he seems so asleep and dreaming of things you don’t want to imagine or you might just strangle him in his sleep.

The marathon in your body seems to calm a bit as you find your sleep once again, but you absolutely know what’s waiting for your husband tomorrow morning.

As you wake up, you noticed that Coryo seems to have started breakfast without you, which happens more often when you woke up in the middle of the night. You emerged from your bed rubbing your eyes, as the events of earlier just hit you like a bus. Standing in the middle of the large and richly decorated room, you take a deep breath, calming yourself and also making a good figure to just destabilise even more your husband. You don't change your clothes, which was part of your sordid plan.

You make your way through the dinning room, being greeted by some of your domestics in the way, responding with a polite smile and nodding, wearing a black nightgown, too sexy to go outside of your bedroom. But at this moment, that’s exactly what you wanted to show him. Your body was his as long as it was mutual. And his little whispering was making you thinking it wasn’t completely the case.

You enter in the dining room, greeting the Mute that was passing, in this soft and warm voice that makes Snow’s head lift up to lock his eyes on you. You feel his gaze travelling your body, and you already feel the point of his ego touched by this personal attack for him. You gently make your way to the long marble table, not giving him a look, only a small “good morning”.

Only you knew how to piss him off so easily by doing mostly nothing. His hands clench into fists while clenching his jaw, taking his time to talk as low as he can.

« Can you explain me what the fuck you’re doing dressing like that outside the bedroom ? » his tone was infuriating and his eyes wanted desperately to met yours.

You smile slightly, putting down the tea cup and turning your head to him. Your lashes fluttering innocently.

« Oh dear, you’re really asking those stupid questions that late in the morning ? » you simply answer as you get up.

Teasing him was a bad idea, but your mind couldn’t think of something else than those words. He scoffed with a dry and short laugh.

« Yes, and my wife has to answer me. This provocation will end really bad for you and I don’t think you want to see that. » his voice just seems impatient and you know that he will not be as ‘nice’ in a few moments if you don’t start talking.

You just get up, walking and closing the doors of the dining room, now all alone and without some curious ears passing by. Coryo is still sitting on his comfortable chair, one hand still in a fist while the other one takes the coffee cup to take a few sips of it. His eyes didn’t look away from you. Those icy blue and somewhat terrifying eyes. Back facing him, you take a deep breath, trying to not smirk and not sounding too angry, controlling your voice being much easier than your body, lightly shaking.

« You talked in your sleep this night. » you state while turning to lock your eyes with his, seeing a surprise look passing through them. « And unfortunately for you, I was awake. And I can say that between the two of you, you’re the one who’s fucking provoking the most. »

You walk towards him, your eyes looking down to him, seeing a small change in his attitude. Apprehension ? No. Curiosity with a sweet melt of guilt. You get just in front of him, your husband sit and look up for you, lips parted, and if you weren’t that fucked up, you’ll kiss him and let him making out with you on the marble.

« What did I say ? » his voice seems still a bit infuriate but more low, close to the whisper. He knows he fucked up somehow and seeing his wife reaction, it must be an absolute disaster.

« Guess. » Your eyes just won’t listen to show how the toxicity of your feelings were affecting both you and Coryo. « I’ll give you a hint, think of the birds I hunt every Sunday in the forest nearby. »

And it hits him.

Lucy Gray Baird. His face changed a bit, being white as snow as he blinks twice, getting the information in his brain. Then, Coriolanus shakes his head.

« You must have misheard I was asleep— »

« I can assure you that you said her fucking name in your disgusting pleading voice, with a ‘please’ that just screams how painful your nightmare must have been. » Sarcastically finishing your sentence, you notice you clenched your teeth so hard that they grinded slightly.

He suddenly gets up, his right hand taking your cheeks firmly, bringing you even more closer to him, as his eyes glanced down at you now, angry at your words. For you, he just seemed scared to be caught.

« Shut up. I didn’t say her name…and even if it was the case, you have no right to act like you do. And you better not talk to me this way, ever. » His words are meant to hurt. To scare and threaten you.

In any other cases, you would probably have squeeze your thighs together and nodding like a good girl. But not this time. It was her. You try to talk through his grip, your eyes furiously locking with his.

« Yes I can, Coryo. Because you’re mine. Not hers, not anymore and never ever again. You’ll react the same way as me if it was my case. But guess what ? I never loved anybody in this world, so you can't attacked me about it. » your voice is filled with jealousy, doubting on the only thing you ever agreed of. You are his pretty good wife, and he is your jealous handsome husband.

Coryo cannot stop looking at you, trying to arranged his thoughts. He knows he would have reacted even worse than you if he was hearing you whispering the name of any other men than him. He didn't even remember his dream to be totally honest. But he doubts you'll believe him. So his hands takes gently your cheeks moving you so your back hit the buffet, blocking your way.

You see his eyes looking every inch of your face before sighing loudly. He opens his blue eyes and nod.

« I'm yours, y/n. I can promise you that, and I already did, didn't I ? For me, and for everyone else, Lucy Gray is dead. Nobody cares about her and so do I. You can hate me or not trust me, but it's the only thing you can be sure that will never change. As long as your mine, I'm yours. » his low and profound voice will always do something in your body. As you look at him, you know for sure he's not lying.

What Coriolanus deliberately left out is that even if one day you no longer want him, you will still be his, and you will never be able to escape from his grasp. His firm hands between your cheeks, thumb gently rubbing them, was something new for you. Those kind of interactions were nearly non-existent. Except maybe an aftercare from a tough round. So you can't help but blushing a bit to this unusual contact and feel suspicious too.

You finally nod, letting him getting closer and starting kissing you, softly but desperately needy. You jump on the buffet, your hands behind your back as you let yourself go completely to his touch and his possessiveness from your body. Your breathing accelerate as his hands let go from your cheeks to touch every part of your body, from top to bottom, stopping to your thighs. Squeezing it, he lets a small groan before putting slightly away, whispering.

« You're fucking mine, all of this body and this little shitty personality of yours. » and you just nod while biting your lip, like a pretty good girl. He grins to your sudden submissiveness.

Well, you were now going to know for sure who is his wife.

#coriolanus snow #coriolanus x reader #coriolanus x you #young coriolanus snow #young president snow #first lady reader #tbosas #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #lucy gray baird #fem reader #smut #female manipulator #i'm weak for him

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hotvintagepoll · 2 months

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Propaganda

Jane Birkin (La Piscine)—JANE BIRKIN!!! forget the bag, i’ve been obsessed with her in Evil Under The Sun for at least a decade. She has the RANGE in literally every way. i know she’s known as a gorgeous it-girl icon but she can still do frumpy, sopping-wet-kitten pathetic and you KNOW the reveal is going to happen because its Jane Fucking Birkin but she deserves that hype, she can leave you absolutely breathless by just a change in demeanor. the way she can control her presence on camera is astonishing. VOTE JANE

Diahann Carroll (Paris Blues, Carmen Jones, Porgy and Bess)— Face of an angel. She had the range. She brought chemistry with every romance she portrayed. She also had a great fashion sense, and was so pretty Mattel made a doll based off of her.

This is round 2 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Jane Birkin:

i'm mainly familiar with her in later works, but whenever i see her i'm so charmed by her atypical beauty--her wide mouth and big teeth, her small eyes--and her whispery voice. it always feels like she's got a delicious secret and if you just lean in a little, she might share it with you.

Propaganda for Jane Birkin: Have you heard her moan in “Je t’aime moi non plus”? Otherwise you need to listen to it before voting (you can ignore Serge Gainsbourg)

Jane Birkin propaganda I think is pretty neat: the Birkin bag was named after her, she's the mother of actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Agnes Varda devoted a whole documentary to her.

Diahann Carroll:

Another groundbreaking black actress, although she might be better remembered for her television roles. She was also an activist and worked with charities to support women in need.

here she is hanging out with shadow prince anthony perkins :3

#diahann carroll #jane birkin #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 2

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twyz · 24 days

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so frankenhooker,, huh?

watching this movie was INSANE, guys. it definitely shows its 90s charm with its shitty humor and fx!! I love it dearly, but good lord, was it a lot. I wouldn't recommend watching this movie if you don't like sexual humor or horror (if u can even call it that),, but otherwise, it's entertaining!!! I had to draw her,, I absolutely her!!

also, Jeffery says, "Take it easy," waaaaay too many times, I will not be taking it easy, yall

#twyz #frankenhooker #this movie is so shitty and i LOVE IT #yet another franken-- whoever to add to my collection!!#i also experimented heavily with this piece #so theres a bunch of changes this time around!!#clip studio paint my beloved #frankenhooker 1990 #frankenstein #horror (?)#90s horror #made in ibis paint #digital art #(using this tag for reach)

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popatochisssp · 8 months

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So um I saw the ask about the adopted sibling, so I wanted to ask for the new boys plus love your headcanons

This one, right?

Phew it's been awhile, here goes...

Ash (Undergloom Sans): He’s the absolute best to chill with, whenever you need a calm moment with no expectations on you. He loves talking music with you too, and always keeps his non-existent ears open for stuff he thinks he you might like so he can share it with you later. Be prepared for him to try to convert you to the physical media lifestyle if you’re not already into it, CDs and records and cassettes are the way to go, kiddo!

Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): You know the joke about grandmas who hear you haven’t eaten and drop everything to rush over and feed you? Well, it’s not really a joke, it’s him, he’ll do it. Not having a home-cooked meal is not an option if he has anything to say about it. Any mention of being hungry or not knowing what you’re going to do for dinner is basically a guarantee that he’s going to be coming by to check on you—either with leftovers in tow, or plans to push past you into your kitchen and get to work.

Brick (Horrorfell Sans): Do you get cold easily? Do you like knitwear? Are you in need of any sweaters or scarves or hats or gloves? Your answer is irrelevant, you’re going to get them, in spades. You also get to share basically anything he’s eating at any time, if you happen to be around, you will get offered a bite or a piece or a sip, whether you ask or not. The sooner you accept your fate, the better.

King (Horrorfell Papyrus): Problems disappear for you. You might not put it together that it’s his doing because he doesn’t go out of his way to draw attention to it, but once you’re in his life, your life starts to feel a bit more charmed. Your stuff hardly ever breaks, you always have what you need when you need it, people are nice to you—and if they’re not, they don’t seem to stay in your orbit long enough for it to matter. He’s a facilitator, and what he wants to facilitate for you is an easy, uncomplicated life. (Just don’t call him on it unless you want to be the annoying little sibling. He is not nice! How dare you imply otherwise... Brat.)

Merc (Horrorswap Sans): He’s a great sounding board for when you don’t know what to do. He doesn’t give advice, per se, but he’s a calm and patient listener, and he has a real knack for guiding you to realize what you want or need. He’s also an open invitation to absolutely anything he’s doing, whether that’s baking or yoga or watching a show. You’re always welcome to join if you want something to do!

Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): He’s your tech-bro, the guy you bring your stuff to before having to call a professional. He’ll give you a bit of shit for 'breaking' it, what’d you do, what kind of weird sites were you on, huh? But in spite of his grumping, he always does his best to fix your problem and set you up for success later. Just show a little gratitude, pay him in chocolate, or coffee, or watching that horror movie with him that no one else wants to, yeah?

Pitch (Horrrorswapfell Sans): He’s the one you want if you’re looking for a fun time. All that stuff you need to get permission for or no one ever let you do because you’re too young or inexperienced? He’s the one to make it happen—you’ve gotta get the experience somehow, don’t you? He can get you into parties, movies, whatever you want to do, really. He’s definitely gonna be the one to take you for your first tattoo, first piercing, first drink (provided you want any of those, of course)… You only live once and there’s no better time to start than when you’re young and the world is your oyster!

Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): What’s his is yours. If there’s something he has that you like or want for yourself, go ahead, take it , he doesn’t need it—or if he does, he can get a new one. Clothes, trinkets, food, essentials, if he has it you can help yourself to it, no questions asked. The only thing he cares about is that you're happy and taken care of.

Sunny (Gastertale Sans): Do you need a ride? Will you need a ride? When will you need a ride? He’s there whenever, any time night or day if you gotta get somewhere and don’t want to (or can’t) drive. But hey, if you want to learn how to drive, he’d love to teach you! He’s chill and easygoing so he’s probably the least likely to stress you out while you’re learning…and if you do manage to ding his bumper or scrape the curb a little, hey, it happens, that’s why you’re practicing, y’know?

Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): Documentarian of all your special moments, taking pictures of, for, and with you, recording videos, saving any and all physical scraps of paper with your name or accomplishments listed on them that he can get his hands on. He’s proud of you and all the things you do, of course there ought to be a record of it all—for posterity! …And for him. …And for you, in case you ever forget any of the cool things you’ve done!

Spectr (Transcendtale Sans): He’s just kind of always around. Usually as a hooded figure lurking in the distance, but occasionally falling into step with you when you’re walking somewhere alone, or sliding into the seat beside you on public transit. He’s not always much for conversation but he likes being around if you need him, or at least keeping you from being all the way alone.

PapAIrus (Transcendtale Papyrus): A near-constant source of messages and appearances throughout your day. He’s always happy to entertain you if you want someone to talk to, but especially if you happen to be bored (the horror!). He’s got a knack for knowing when you need a diversion or an amusement and he’s sure to pop up on one screen or another to give it to you when you need him the most.

Xanth (Ascendswap Sans): He loves to shower you in presents pretty much whenever he sees you. Never anything expensive or even necessary, mostly just bizarre little tchotchkes—bracelets, pendants, bobbles and baubles—seemingly random items that ‘had your vibe’ or felt like they’d be ‘on your wavelength.’ Annoyingly enough, he’s never wrong, no matter how weird the gift, it’s always right up your alley and he loves bringing a smile to your face with his random finds.

Piper (Ascendswap Papyrus): If you didn’t want to have your own personal stylist…well sorry, maybe you shouldn’t have gotten adopted by proxy by somebody who wants you to look and feel your best, I guess? He likes to take you shopping for things and offer his advice and opinions, and if you’ll let him, maybe steer you towards a few things here and there that you wouldn’t have thought to try. Don’t worry about the cost of anything, if there’s a deal to be had, he’ll get it one way or another…

Carmine (Underfell Fruition Sans): The best wingman ever, he’s always down to be there for you when you need a little confidence boost, too shy or nervous to do something all by yourself. If you need a hype up before asking someone out, somebody to go to XYZ with so you’re not the odd one out, even just somebody to go see a movie with, the answer’s always the same—sounds great, what time? He’ll never let you down and never leave you hanging.

Tank (Underfell Fruition Papyrus): He's like having a bodyguard whenever you need one. And really, who wouldn’t want to have a big tough guy willing to follow them around and do whatever they want him to do? He’s great at that, being a strong silent presence for you whether you need a little intimidation or just someone to get something off a high shelf for you—y’know, typical scary tall guy stuff. But if you’re looking for some quiet quality time, he’s good for that too, happy to parallel play anytime!

Vi (Swapfell Fruition Sans): He’s good at keeping you on track and making sure all your important documents are in order. He knows your schedule almost down to the minute and tends to text you about anything that might interrupt your routine before it becomes a problem, and you don’t even have to ask him to take a look at your financials or help you with taxes—he’s already combed through the figures and pounced on every little discrepancy and rounding error he could find. You’re welcome, by the way.

Hunter (Swapfell Fruition Papyrus): You don’t get out enough. You’re coming out with him. Yes, outside. No, you don’t have a choice, he’ll drag you if you don’t go willingly, being inside 24/7 is terrible for you he would know. Don’t worry, it won’t be so bad, he can probably find you something cool to see, some animal tracks or a neat plant, maybe a stream. He’ll make sure you get back home in one piece and everything too, alive even, maybe. He just wants to share a little time and fresh air with you, and being cooped up indoors all the time is no fun, even if you’re used to it.

Kohl (Descendtale Sans): He…hassles you. He sneaks up on you when your guard is down, shows up in unexpected places to spook you, makes jokes at your expense… It’s nothing worse than teasing, really, and compared to how he is with most everyone else, his pestering tends to read as playful more than anything else. Still, if you’re looking for a sweet, helpful big brother…look elsewhere. He’s the bastard big brother that you’ve begrudgingly grown fond of, and you’re the irritating little sib that he’s forced to admit is growing on him, a little…much like a fungus might.

Bram (Descendtale Papyrus): He calls at least once a day if he doesn’t see you, and sometimes even then. He’s always trying to check in on you to see if you need anything, make sure you’re doing alright, and oh, of course if you’d like to do anything today, or maybe later in the week? It may be a little a lot overeager of him, but he cares about you and doesn’t ever want to lose touch! So please text him back so he knows you got home safe, he’ll worry if you’re radio silent too long!

#undertale #headcanons #anonymous #i have too many aus i can't tag them all individually anymore #undergloom #horrorfell #horrorswap #horrorswapfell #gastertale #transcendtale #ascendswap #descendtale #underfell fruition #swapfell fruition

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dailyadventureprompts · 1 year

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What’s fasinating about the d&d movie is that it is all the fun of d&d removed from the rigid restraints of the the clunky game system: Thrills and laughs and hairbrained schemes minus the minutia of needless rolls or waiting for your turn in initiative to circle around. Part of this is idealization, but as someone who’s obsessed with making my favorite game system the most fun possible I can’t help but draw some comparisons.

Combat: Holga’s fight scenes were a highlight of the film for me, displaying a huge amount of kinetic creativity as she pinballed between different combatants swapping out weapons, bouncing off the surrounding terrain . This is a far, far cry from how being a fighter plays out at the table, as most martial characters are focused into doing just one type of attack as good as they can because it’s their only reliable contribution to combat. Try to model Holga’s fights in game and you’d be caught in a boring slog of dealing 1d4+STR damage to a bunch of guards whittling away at their hitpoint pools, a far cry from the lighting quick flury of smashing, bashing, and flips that make her the film’s action setpiece.

What d&d needs is a system for combat that exists alongside the traditional damage/HP paradigm: an additional layer of complexity for martial characters that encourages tactical thinking and lets those who do their damage up close feel just as cool and as clutch as casters. My mind’s already whirling thinking up something that revolves around stuns, suckerpunches, and positioning, so expect it later this week.

Powercreep: This might be subjective but I find it fascinating that the official stats put out for the party has them hovering around level 16, a point in character progression a)that most characters never get to b) by which the game’s difficulty systems have begun to break down. I suspect this was done in order to keep their on-screen abilities in line with how they are in the base rules, but I can’t help but feel like its odd for the “idedalized” dnd experiance to be playing around with toys that most groups will never get their hands on.

In my experience d&d is on a sliding scale of stakes V Shenanigans, with the exact ballance evolving over the course of a campaign: Your group starts out as a bunch of dumbfucks and at some point while you’re making making absolute fools out of yourselves you become a found family just in time for the consequences of your actions to circle back around and threaten the realm. First the characters start caring about eachother, then they care about the world, then they have to save that world. Level 16 is, for me, distinctly in “save the world” territory, despite the fact that the HaT crew are clearly still figuring out who they are and what they care about. It makes me wish D&D was more free with its shenanigan enabling magic/items/class features at lower levels to help fuel these kinds of antics.

Attunement: Perhaps the best “ oh I’m totally going to steal this” moment came from Simon’s attempt to attune to the helm of disjunction. Turning what was otherwise a rote game mechanic into an oppertunity for character growth was genius on behalf of the writers, though one I’d only really employ with items that were as necessary for my plots as the helm was for the heist. Just like Simon’s major flaw was self doubt, I could easily see delicious storytelling potential in throwing up other emotional hurdles depending on the situation: A hero’s sword refusing to attune to the haunted survivor until they’ve come to terms with what they’ve done, an otherwise altruistic character being forced to admit their sin and self interest by an evil-aligned artifact.

Over all, I really enjoyed the movie, though paradoxically It didn’t hook me as much because for me one of the biggest charms of fantasy is the feeling of discoverying a new world, and I’ve been living the d&d world for the past 20 years so it didn’t come of as wild and magical as it could have been, having hewn so close to established d&d material.

#dapper digresses #dnd meta #d&d hat #honor among thieves

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sgiandubh · 7 months

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Belfast: not your average working-class drama

So, yes: as promised, I watched Belfast last night, until the wee hours of the next morning. And I have to immediately add I do not feel the need for a re-watch. As usually, I shall not insist more than necessary on the storyline and focus instead on the raw impressions I am taking home with me.

It was a strange experience, given all the huffing and puffing and hype and backstage context, inevitably involving C. And I defy any OL fan to watch and process it otherwise: the circus was what it was, at its time, Vanity Fair major PR blunder included. Whether you are a hardcore Balfe Nation stan or a shipper, that bias is there, looming over your screen as you try and get into the magic of it. An ambitious and, at least for me, unfulfilled goal.

The storyline is personal, in a cinematic niche that screams for political statements, peppered with psychological heaviness and guerilla brutality. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw spoke in his chronicle about an 'euphoric eulogy' (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/oct/12/belfast-review-kenneth-branagh-jamie-dornan-judi-dench), where the NYT's Jeannette Catsoulis saw ' grit and glamour stroll hand-in-hand' (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/movies/belfast-review.html), with a marked, delighted nod to C's performance as Ma. So yes, we inevitably deal with 'rose-tinted glasses' and 'softened edges', in this nostalgic, elegantly shot coming of age plot. The aesthetic is there, with a black& white sleek filming choice that makes everything so dense at times, you simply have to hit pause and let it sink in. It is, I suspect, Branagh's nod to Truffaut and his Antoine Doinel five movie cycle, starting with Les Quatre Cents Coups (The 400 Blows, but this is an inept translation of an idiom that means 'to break havoc'), another coming-of-age working class story set in Paris during the Fifties and also shot in black and white. A clever choice that allows the audience to focus on the dialogues, without any other distraction. And ultimately, a statement that also heavily drags you by your coat's button: "hey, there, I am an independent, intellectual movie featuring beautiful people amid hardship: wanna be friends?"

Being totally impervious to the Fifty Shades of Grey charm allowed me to focus on C's performance and I have to immediately say I found it elegant, clever and endearing. And also immediately add that I still have no clue about how the hell she managed to drag all her Claire Fraser mannerisms, all the way from Inverness to Belfast and 1743 to 1969 (another important year for OL, as we all know, and that coincidence made me grin). I loved (loved-loved-loved) the broken plates' scene, but in all fairness, was it that different from the moment she slaps Laoghaire in Castle Leoch's kitchen? But I truly resonated with the tiny moments when we see her really struggling to make sense out of the Inland Revenue string of letters and find a solution to a very clear family conundrum, with the result that we all know, I suppose, by now. So yes, Mrs. Balfe: portraying strong, honest, salt of the Earth women absolutely suits you and I'd love to see more of it in the future, if only perhaps with a different, more realistic angle.

So the real question I bet you're all waiting for me to answer is this: was it an Oscar-worthy performance? Sadly, my answer is no (no matter how deep I would like it to be otherwise - and I swear I did and I do). And it's #silly and very unfair to her, I know, since it has to deal, in my humble opinion with the script's own limitations and the complete failure to find a balance between the child's gaze and the mother's presence. As the script and storyline go, Belfast is Jude Hill's movie and it is to him I would have given the Oscar. Not Judi Dench, whom I love dearly and whose voice is the most beautiful, rich, intelligent movie voice ever to have graced this Earth. She didn't need just another trinket of Hollywood affection for what is a correct, but over all forgettable performance, unlike Ciaran Hinds'. Who was simply extraordinary and that's all I can say: I am in love, and when I fall in love, I shut up - not babble on blogs.

Would I recommend it? I don't know. I mean, it's Branagh, and to be honest, I don't hold the man in great esteem. I think his reputation as the neo-Laurence Olivier is way OTT and I am also deeply amused by his pretense to be an intellectual luminary among the glitterati, when he obviously is not. But, as always, this is just me and my very clear-cut opinions. You don't have to follow them or even believe me and as always, it's just better to go see for yourself. With this caveat: don't expect too much out of it and you should probably be fine and satisfied.

I sure was very pleased to watch this nugget, my favorite scene in all the movie, to be honest. It's got perfect sarcasm and all the poetry one can find looking at Cartier-Bresson's delicate photographs of schoolchildren waiting for the lesson to end and life to truly start anew:

youtube

#Youtube

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alwayschasingrainbows · 4 months

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I was tagged by @norbertsmom - thank you so, so much!

Tag game: tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better.

Last song: the lakes by Taylor Swift (I swear, each time somebody tags me in a music game, I always end up with a lot of Taylor Swift's songs!)

Currently watching: (or rather, currently failing to watch;)): Tale of Nine Tailed 1938, Percy Jackson. I adore both shows, make no mistake, but I find it hard to watch with my real life obligations and my to-read list. But I truly hope to watch more this weekend!

Three ships: Only three? So... Percabeth, Everlark and Valarney, I guess:)

Favorite color: violet!

Currently consuming: At this moment- nothing, because I am cooking dinner. Last thing I ate was GoActive protein pudding (salted caramel). Really good! (And I am not much into fitness or healthy eating... Just truly like this pudding!).

First ship: Anne Shirley/Gilbert Blythe (Shirbert).

Relationship status: Single as a pringle (otherwise known as Still-Waiting-For-A-Prince-Charming-To-Come-And-Sweep-Me-Off-My-Feet or Happily-In-Love-With-Many-Fictional-Characters!). But I am not unhappy about it.

Last movie: Movie... hm... let me think... I think it was Murder In The Orient Express (Hercule Poirot), with David Suchet. Rewatch, of course!

Currently working on:

Cooking a dinner:) - I mean, at this very second!

Thank you so, so much for the ask!

Tagging (why only 9?):

@autumnrose11 , @no-where-new-hero, @smolgreybunny , @sparklepink12k , @sweetnessofspring, @bewareofitalics , @the-lily-blooms-late , @mzannthropy @the-piper-and-the-lion If they weren't tagged and want to participate!

But I'll be honest - I would absolutely LOVE to get to know ALL of my mutuals, so if that's allowed (probably not, but I'll take my chances):

I tag all my mutuals who feel like taking part in this game! And everyone who wants to participate!

#nice ask #Thank you!#Please feel tagged under any circumstances

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agendabymooner · 7 months

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pride & pettiness || jb22 series (1)

jenson button x ofc (british actress!ofc)

EXTENSION TO THE MR. DARCY TYPE (SMAU)

Summary: Ada James Abbott was an actress first and a writer second, but it seems like meeting a certain Jenson Button added more to her title as she learned to love and list down the most significant moments of her life with him.

OR her book, Mr. Driver, consisted of diary entries and memories that Ada remembered still to this day. These are the contents of the journals.

Content warning: Use of explicit language, Pride & Prejudice references, email exchanges, journal entries + scenarios (per time skip), fluff, yearning, Mr. Darcy & Lizzie Bennet dynamic (with a bit more humour and less aloofness), strangers to situationship to lovers??

Note: I’ve been talking to @daaiissyyyyy about sharing this thing because I have kept it in my drafts for a while. This may not continue or may continue but enjoy xx

a - n masterlist

o - z masterlist

i. 2004 In which, Ada and Jenson met for the first time. Also when the British actress found him attractive until he started talking.

JOURNAL ENTRY 1: SILVERSTONE 2004 — MR. HONDA DRIVER IS A HANDSOME GIT

I thought Hugh Dancy was the most attractive and insufferable man to have ever existed. But then my manager generously forced me to attend a race in Silverstone that eventually led me to some man named Jenson Button. He graced the grid with his boyish smile and his trademark charm that made me wonder if girls had ever fallen to their knees to be with him.

But his charm was arrogance in disguise. Who would have thought that a man so handsome could be stupid enough to downplay a stranger’s ability? Especially if he hadn’t seen enough of what I do? He doesn’t even know who I am and I don’t think that he is ever interested to know— but his jokes said otherwise. The endless flirting wasn’t the only thing that had my face flushing.

I probably overthink his jokes and had taken it to heart. But I can’t be blamed for that. He’s just attractive and I thought that he had potential. Then again, I shouldn’t expect too much from men.

SILVERSTONE, ENGLAND

Martin Brundle and his Grid Walk was the best part of the race; each celebrity or guest who graced the race with their presence loved having a conversation with him.

Ada James Abbott’s experience, however, was something of a memorable one. After all, meeting the most handsome man to have ever existed happened there. Live on the telly with his stupid attractive smile.

“The movie, King Arthur, is in its first box office week. You happened to play Guinevere,” Martin pointed out, making Ada nod and grin.

She stood next to him with all the smiles that she could offer — just happy to be recognized by someone in this industry of sports. The former driver then continued, “And you’re here in the grid now to spectate and enjoy the race— do tell: why were you not here the last time when the Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out? We were anticipating your appearance as you have obviously played the role of Elizabeth Swann. I was hoping to tell you more about what I thought of it.”

Ada giggled quietly before answering, “The schedule was quite tight during that time with having to go to tours and promote the film and filming other works in progress. We can absolutely discuss what you think but I do not think that it’ll be something that everyone would like to hear about on such a busy day!”

“Are you a fan of Formula One?” The reporter asked, a glint of curiosity washing through his features as he waited for the British actress to answer.

Ada then hummed, “It used to be something I watched. My father tried to rope me into watching it with him before, but it seemed to be only effective for my brothers Ralph and Nathan. I would watch at least… a race every month. It’s- yeah- it’s not something I would watch by myself so being here now and watching the real thing is an experience my dad would kill to see firsthand.”

“And you’ve met the drivers from the team you happened to be a guest in?”

“I did,” Ada replied with a nod, “David Coulthard, or DC— he insisted that I call him that— is a lovely man. He ran through the basics of his car and obviously had put up with my lack of knowledge in the technical aspects of the race. Kimi Raikkönen is a rather reserved one, and we’d obviously have to work on our relationship because of the lack of communication. Otherwise, it is amazing! I’m quite fortunate to be at the McLaren gar—“

“Would you look at that beauty!” Ada turned towards the direction of the voice and found herself staring at the facial features of the speaker.

A handsome man, he was.

“I think that you are speaking about yourself, Jenson,” Martin joked as ‘Jenson’ approached the two, now standing next to Ada as her face flushed red. “That head of yours would make the car lose its balance.”

“I didn’t say anything about myself,” Jenson scoffed playfully before peering down at Ada with a… smirk.

Ada lost all of her senses as Jenson began to speak, “‘Sides, if anything— this pretty face would make me lose my balance.”

“I assume that you’ve seen Ada James Abbott before,” Martin piped up, making Ada glance at the man and shift back to look at him.

She wasn’t able to see the handsome man, Jenson, next to her, but she could remember how the upper part of his race suit hung from his waist and how his eyes lingered on her.

What she wasn’t able to see however was the shaking of his head. Martin then continued to speak, “She’s quite an amazing actress, Jenson.”

“Is she really?” This comment had Ada turning as she looked at Jenson, whose smirk continued to grow while he spoke. “I’d believe any lie that you would tell me, especially if I’m being graced with your beauty.”

“What is that supposed to mean, exactly?” Ada spewed out, slightly baffled as he laughed heartily.

“I’m just saying,” Jenson winked at her, “I’ll believe it when I see a trophy, darling.”

With one comment, all the butterflies in her stomach had turned into something more sour. Ada Abbott’s smile turned strained as she only nodded before looking back at Martin Brundle. She wasn’t about to give this man the time of day right now. Perhaps he’d have to either retract his words or at least act like he just insulted her on live television instead of joking around like nothing happened.

JOURNAL ENTRY 2: EAT YOUR OWN WORDS, MR. HONDA DRIVER.

I just won my third trophy of the year. It’s quite amazing. But there’s something wonderful about making Jenson Button eat his own words. It was probably my pride that asked for his email address but sending him an image felt nothing of malice but satisfaction. God, did it feel so good.

TO BE CONTINUED

#formula one imagine #formula one fic #formula one x oc #jenson button fic #jenson button imagine #jenson button fanfic #jenson button #jb22 #formula one au #formula one series #formula one fluff #f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #formula one #formula 1

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grotesquehorse · 10 months

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Red, White and Royal Blue (2023) is a tragedy, but not for the reasons that people who hate the book on principle are talking about. It's not just a bad adaptation, it's a bad movie. There is nothing redeeming about it except the casting of Sarah Shahi as Zahra.

First of all, I want to say, that the book DOES have depth. Just because a book is a romcom doesn't mean it doesn't have depth. And I'm sick and tired of seeing the criticism from people who didn’t read the book say "people are complaining that the movie doesn't have depth but the book didn't have depth either, so what were you expecting". It fucking has depth. And I have a right to be upset that the movie absolutely fucking butchered it.

The Casting

The casting, although it has been criticized, has not been criticized for the correct aspects. Nick and Taylor have enough chemistry to be passable for a romcom - it's not great, but at least it wasn't Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant in Two Weeks Notice.

The casting for Alex was not good. I have nothing against Taylor, but his thousand-yard stare had nothing behind the eye(lashes) and actively hindered any and all of Alex’s interactions. Nick was better; Henry is a more subtle character (as he has to be), and this was portrayed much more convincingly.

Nora was fucking annoying and her actress was bad. Uma Thurman does not belong in this movie. Stephen Fry, although the funniest possible actor to put in that role, shouldn't have been in this movie either.

Alex, as a character, was butchered. He should have a Type-A, bouncing off the walls, undiagnosed ADHD, horny but anxious confidence about him. Movie Alex was entirely wrong. I would call him suave, but I don't find him charming. The audience is supposed to think he's suave, maybe, but this is the wrong character trait to give him. He is supposed to be confident and charming, but not suave. There is nothing going on in his head, and this is especially detrimental when Book Alex’s main personality trait is that he overthinks everything at every possible angle.

The Alex and Henry Relationship

The first kiss between Alex and Henry and the scene preceding it are all wrong. Movie Alex is kissing multiple different women and Henry is much more isolated than in the book. Alex’s first line in the confrontation is supposed to be "what are you doing out here?" not "did I do something wrong?" when Henry leaves the party; it's supposed to be more nuanced. Henry should be feeling "of course he's straight, he can't want me, I can't want him" not "betrayed because Alex kissed someone who is not me". Alex is not supposed to know that Henry is upset. Alex is not supposed to think that he is the cause of Henry being upset. The movie cuts any of the depth between them. Another core personality trait of Alex, is that he is selfish. He forgets to text June back about dinner, he gets wrapped up in his own head, he doesn’t understand his friendship/relationship with Liam. He doesn’t understand that he may be the cause of Henry’s emotions.

The camping scenes touched on Alex being selfish, but again, in all the wrong ways. He starts talking about how they could be out as a real couple after the reelection, but he fails to consider that Henry is a prince of England. Truly baffling writing choice, considering Alex is supposedly intelligent and political and, while selfish, extremely aware of the politics surrounding his and Henry’s relationship. Book Alex would never have suggested that they come out the way that Movie Alex did. Movie Alex is a fucking idiot, and didn’t do much to even try to convince me otherwise.

Although I hoped that the movie would be more romcom and less political/royal drama, I’m still dissatisfied with how the movie executed this. There was no journey watching Alex and Henry become friends. There was no "I’ve been in love with you for years" from Henry. There was no "you obsessively looked at his picture in a magazine" from Alex. A large part of the animosity between them, for Alex, is that they are constantly compared in the media. They are uniquely perfect for each other because they are both in very specific spotlights. This aspect of their relationship is completely absent from the movie.

My friend wouldn't let me skip the sex scene, but just know that it was fucking uncomfortable.

The Implications

The combination of Liam and Rafael Luna into one journalist character is a twofold character assassination. You can't take a high school hook up and a gay political professional (who Alex looked up to) and combine them into a journalist. It doesn't work. Miguel, the journalist, acts like a villain immediately - sunken eyes with a scorned lover attitude. He's a joke. There's no nuance in taking two crucial pieces of Alex’s sexuality journey and mashing them together to create an evil gay guy with no explanation.

It's implied that Miguel leaked the emails, but this ignores the actual triple agenting that Rafael Luna was doing. This movie is rated R, but we can't talk about a man attempting to sexually abuse another man because we can't talk about sexual assault amongst the LGBT community; that would make the gays look bad. But we can diminish two characters and create an evil gay journalist archetype who just wants to out Alex and Henry for his own professional gain (and maybe get back at Alex for refusing to hook up with him again). So, you tell me, which gay representation is "worse" for the gays?

Miguel had to be created to be the villain so that Richards, the republican candidate running against Alex’s mom, the one who abused men and attempted to sexually assault Rafael Luna, couldn't be the villain that he is in the books. Because that would alienate the republican audience. Because the republican audience is so crucial to the marketing of what is considered the first mainstream gay romcom.

The Technical Aspects

The social media editing was bad. The way the emails were done was bad. There was no version of this movie that would be successful. There's too much reliance in the book on texts and emails, and you can't build a relationship through technology in a movie. It's always unsuccessful.

The cinematography is Hulu-original bland. The directing was incompetent. The script was incoherent at worst, and over written at best. "trouble you no longer" is a bad line. "he grabbed my hair in a way that made me understand the difference between rugby and football." what the fuck are you talking about.

I hate that the movie was bad, but it was bad. I don't know what fucking movie these other people are watching, but Red, White and Royal Blue (2023) is fucking unwatchable.

#txt #do NOT talk to me about this movie. i know the fandom type.#do NOT reply and put stupid shit #i delete replies and block people for ANYTHING.#anti rwrb 2023

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batmanfruitloops · 8 months

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Scarecrow is here!

Jo's Scars (Without Spoiler)

The scarring on Jo's wrists are from self harm, inflicted during his teens years.

Any diamond-shaped scars are from the crows his grandma sent after him when they pecked and tore at his skin. The one closest to his eye luckily doesn't impair his vision at all, but that was certainly a scary one to get. He can also hear very well despite missing bits of his ears, they're also pretty superficial, damage-wise.

The big ones on his back, as well as the thin ones on the back of his calves are more from his grandma, although these are from being whipped are punishment.

Most of the thin scars across Jo's face and on his fingers are from being careless while shaving.

Jo's (basically) One Inspiration

Batman Begins Cillian Murphy is one of the Scarecrows I know the best. I know, I know, the prettiest boy? Yes, but I made him not pretty and a lot taller because otherwise, he was a great Scarecrow. Shame that's the only time Scarecrow's been in a movie

Fluffy's grandpa is also an inspiration for Jo, but I don't know him as well as she does

Scarecrow's Main Inspirations

Both designs of Batman the Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures are a significant foundation of this design. I never got to watch these but I wish I did. Despite this, these are the designs I've been exposed to the most and I love all three. Since these designs are made for animation, they appealed to me the most. I also feel the more simple a design is, the scarier it can be. Your brain will do so much of the work when things are vague.

I love analog horror, I much prefer it to classic horror and gore. I think psychological horror is much more impactful than anything heavy gore can do. So of course The Mandela Catalog is an inspiration (not to mention the religious themes).

The Walten Files goes along with the idea that simplicity is more effective at scaring you. There is so much power in the uncanny valley and there's no one who'd know that better than Jonathan Crane. I think it's very fitting.

Fleischer cartoons are typically seen as spooky or even unnerving to some. I grew up with these cartoons and they've influenced my art in general, so it pours into almost everything I do. With Scarecrow I can push that more to add to his kooky charm.

It's a tradition for my family to watch The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. So it's dear to my heart. Knowing it's closely tied to Scarecrow's story is one of the reasons he's my favorite. I like the idea of him being like both Ichabod Crane and the headless horse because he typically becomes what he hates most.

My absolute favorite movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas. So how could I not take inspiration from the Pumpkin King himself? Both are masters of fright after all. Jack's lanky stature, spider-like movements, creepy cackle, and admirable ambition is a perfect reference for Scarecrow.

Backstory post

-Sarsee and Fluffy

#batmanfruitloops #anewgothamau #dc #batman #dc fanart #batman villains #batman rogues #scarecrow #dc scarecrow #jonathan crane #fruitloopsreferences #tw: abuse #tw: self harm #tw: scopophobia

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mdhwrites · 5 months

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Do you think the Owl House writes good romance queer or otherwise?

NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT... but also SLIGHTLY yes.

Like a lot of TOH's writing, its romance writing suffers the same problem: Great concepts and initial presentation but a lack of ideas, focus or proper follow through means that it is kneecapped once the easy, flashy parts of writing the romances is over. The problem is that this is further compounded by the fact that this is EASILY the field in which TOH is the most willing to use cheap tropes so as to allow for simplicity of storytelling which conflicts with the rest of the storytelling. All of this makes the writing of the romances in TOH a PROBLEM.

Let's start, obviously, with Lumity. They are literally a Hallmark couple. That is not exaggeration or a metaphor. One of them is a plucky, small town person who believes in emotions and the present and that all that really matters is that the joy of things is kept alive. Meanwhile, the other is a big city slicker who was raised to care about pathetic things like financial security, her future and making sure that they're still going to have a roof over their head in the future. Over the course of their journey, the city slicker will realize that everything they believed is bullshit, that having ambition is terrible and have pretty much all of their personality traits scrubbed away so they can see things the way the small town person does and then the movie ends.

But... the show didn't end with Lumity getting together and the fact that this was using Hallmark's model gets REALLY obvious. The model requires that the serious one entirely abandon their desire, personalities and commonly their friends and family even, sometimes even their romantic partners. It's an extreme way to show character development and devotion. A show of how much they care for the other lead which is usually meant to be some amount of audience surrogate. That's not good for a character though, as desires/connections often form much of a basis for a character's motivations, and so suddenly the show is scrambling to give Amity a supporting cast to interact with and desires beyond Luz. However, because Luz is her only desire, again following this model, she always abandons those characters and desires to go back to Luz. Luz is still her true core focus in Reaching Out. She doesn't mention Alador in For the Future. This devotion honestly gets so bad over time as to become DISTRESSING because it is not a sign of a healthy relationship. Your partner should not be the only thing you appear to actually care about in this world.

Even if you don't want to accuse them of being a Hallmark model, they aren't anything new and some of their tropes are simply not good. A lot of works will have the quirky, silly guy get with the serious one in the cast. It's a classic pairing but one that's usually handled pretty awkwardly since it usually includes some amount of what comes down to harassment from the quirky member of the cast. Literally sexual harassment if you got with Inuyasha's pairing of Miroku and Sango. This is often because the quirky one sees the other as a challenge or the like and wants bragging points for being able to crack their shell. But of course, TOH would never include something like that. Luz is a good girl and would never declare something like, I dunno, "Maybe I can befriend her like Azura did her rival?"

Yes. That is an actual quote from the show. From Lost in Language where eventually Amity sees Luz's quirky nature as charming rather than trouble and the two finally get cohesion due to Luz's efforts to save Amity's life, which is actually not abnormal for any couple in an adventure show to have be when their attraction starts, let alone this sort of pairing. Again: The show does nothing new here... But why should that matter? I LIKE Hallmark movies after all despite their flaws. They can be fun and charming, even as they make incredibly questionable choices.

Well, part of the problem is that the tone and ego of TOH doesn't match with storytelling that revels in cheats like Hallmark does. Understanding Willow is just one of MANY examples of the show claiming it won't use narrative shortcuts, especially in relationships between people. You know, only a couple episodes before it uses the shortcut from Hallmark of Amity throwing away connections consequence free in Winging it Like Witches. Then, four episodes after that, doing it again in Escaping Expulsion. TOH claims to be more maturely paced than that though. That these are real characters with long term arcs and that they are people, not props. But... The Hallmark model uses mostly pretty cheap props. It needs to for its life as a popcorn movie and for how simple its stories are. Just as an example: Murder might be farther than most antagonists in Hallmark movies but rampant greed and not caring about others to a cartoonish level? Yeah, that's there in those and it's there in Alador and Odalia. These two approaches are simply incompatible and I do not blame anyone, myself included, who thought the show was claiming that there would be more to Amity's character than simple obstructions that had to be moved away and biopsied out of her for the sake of being a love interest.

Now, real quick tangential shout out: My favorite Hallmark style movie, even if it technically isn't one since it's not by Hallmark, is Last Christmas. Yes the one based on the song. It's not perfect but it's a lot more unique in my opinion than most and like... If I can say it still fits the Hallmark style, perfection was already left at the door. Charm and fun though? There in spades.

But, getting back on track, Lumity isn't the only romance in the show.

Raeda, like Lumity, presents a strong, classic romance pairing to begin with as well. The wild outlaw and the more rule abiding loyalist but with the neat twist that age has actually brought them to being much closer in viewpoints. As such, it's more the girl who fits in and so knows how to be a rebel and the nice person who is trying to branch out and push boundaries now. They balance each other well but their conflict is immediately understood. The care is also easy to understand, let alone once you know that the curse and the lies tore them apart.

But... Then S2B begins. Now see, with their backstory, you'd actually expect Raine to have some issues with Eda. Some potential trust problems and the like but... Nope. Their entire being is dedicated to the woman who lied to them and then ran from them rather than being honest with them. Like mentor like student I guess. However, Raine doesn't seem to care. Their relationship is 100% fully mended by the end of Eda's Requiem and everything Raine does, he does for Eda effectively despite there not actually being any reason given by them besides personal desire. Maybe they just don't want Eda possibly dying and abandoning her kids? Don't know because it's entirely left to interpretation.

Worse yet, Them's the Breaks goes even farther and makes it so that Raine is just a clone of Eda. A wild child who wants to break the rules and tell everyone to stuff it. They're just, you know, smarter about it than Eda. Not even that they need a push but just that they're better at hiding it. Neither this nor the devotion makes them interesting and like Amity for Lumity, their character vanishes and the romance at best becomes boring.

And finally Huntlow which... From a romance perspective it's nothing. It's not even to say that it doesn't exist but it's almost literally what a tacked on Romantic D PLOT would be. A couple cute looks, a handful of small exchanges and now they're soulmates. That's really it. Huntlow takes up an exceptionally small amount of time of the story and the time it takes up isn't used serving it explicitly but more to erase any memory of the fact that Hunter is a trained murderer who is VERY willing to execute people who get in his way. Stranger Tides proved that after all.

They're inoffensive but even with that said, they're not good. Hunter loses all of his edge while Willow is so forceful as to almost come across as a bully at times during Sport in a Storm (remember, she literally won't take no for an answer and kidnaps him when he won't listen to her). This does make him look weaker and smaller but it doesn't make either one interesting. In fact, it just reinforces how this isn't a romance built off mutual like and chemistry. It's there because... It's just there. I guess Willow is nice to him once but so is Luz and Amity and he never starts being attracted to them. It's Willow pretty much because she's the one available to date and nothing else.

It's weak and it's nothing I care about, built on two of the most inconsistent characters in the entire show. They're genuinely the easiest for me to imagine genuinely being happy together and being just a nice couple, instead of one being in charge over the other, but that's because they're boring. I imagine Hunter as Ned Flanders as an adult just to drive home the point.

So yeah, I'm confidant to say these aren't good romances. Meanwhile, the characters bend for the sake of the romances instead of the romance being properly based on their dynamics, critical elements to characters are discarded for the ease of them getting together and while we might get some cute moments, they have no depth or oomph to them and are only good when dealing with the wonders of a relationship and not its difficulties which are often the far more compelling parts of a relationship. If you want to know how it handles the difficulties of romance... *stares at how Luz spends the second half of the series lying to her girlfriend despite making a promise to be more open at the end of Falls and Follies* Yeah, it's really fucking shitty. If you compare the conversation Amity and Luz have at the end of Covention compared to their conversation before the Grom Tree in Reaching Out, it becomes REALLY clear just how far both of them have fallen, as well as their chemistry. I have quite literally spent multiple blogs talking about how Reaching Out is the death of Lumity for me, a SUPREME Lumity shipper if the probably close to a million words based on them between original and fan works isn't enough to prove it, and I don't feel like going hard on it here.

But hey, it wasn't ever meant to be a romance. Dana said so herself. It just, you know, takes up literally a third of the show. That's not hyberbole. Amity takes up seven episodes of S1. She takes up six of S2 while Raeda, which ends up being pointless because everything they do doesn't matter, takes up two episodes of S2, and that's if you don't include Falls and Follies as either a Raeda or Lumity episode which it could be claimed for both. Huntlow is a part of Hunter's arc at the expense of having it be TEN EPISODES since he interacted with Luz when Hollow Mind comes up and SHE is the one there for his character's big turn.

For a genre that the show supposedly wasn't about, it sure is prioritized over ANYTHING else. Amity and Luz literally have more plot lines together than Eda and Luz. You know, the two who are pitched as the twin main characters. Mentor and student. The two who will beat Belos together arguably. Yes, King is there but if you think Luz spends too little time with Eda, just imagine what that ends up looking like if you look too closely at Luz and King's time spent together.

And that is an element of romance writing. How does the romance serve the plot and theme. How can you make it important. Amity, Raine and Willow are all non-important to the story, especially when compared to their partners. None of them ever help push the plot forward minus Raine and again, their contribution ends up being pointless. Willow at least arguably enacts some character growth on Hunter but Hunter isn't actually that important to the story, just his relationship with Belos and his backstory. As for Amity? It literally was a meme that nothing important could happen with her around and she has literally no impact on Luz's character ever. If she did, Luz might not have LIED TO HER FOR HALF THE SERIES.

Their contributions to the finale highlight this all too well. They're just effectively background characters. Not even interacting with their partners but just doing what everyone else is doing. Their connections don't matter. Their lessons don't. They don't matter to this story.

Which you know what? Even in a Hallmark movie, the serious lead's turn to becoming bland usually coincides in them, having been persuaded by their love for the quirky other lead, to swoop in and save the day. The effect that love and connection and what not wins out. The relationship is at least part of why there is a happy ending.

When your romance is more pointless, and at best just as charming as, a HALLMARK ROMANCE, I think I can pretty firmly say you aren't good at romance.

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I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

#the owl house criticism #toh critical #Lumity #Raeda #Huntlow #The Owl House #TOH

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thesiltverses · 8 months

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i have been re-listening to i am in eskew episode 17 and this part:

"There are police puppets and doctor puppets and army puppets and ballerina puppets and child puppets loomed over by impossibly-tall unhappy-looking puppets, all kinds of puppets, a city of puppets, an audience of puppets.

I have seen these before, in the tourist traps and curio shops. I think there must be some local tradition or folklore behind them, because otherwise I cannot imagine any reason why they’d possibly exist, or why anyone would buy them."

and the lines that follow have really stuck with me. somehow it perfectly recaptures the exact feelings i had when i was walking up the hill to visit the prague castle for the first time as a kid.

anyway, that's all. i love your work!

That's the kind of line I always feel a bit bad about, because the uncanniness and the joke is founded on David's ignorance as an outsider, and in reality of course Czech puppetry does have its own specific history and cultural importance.

but you're absolutely right that those lines were directly based on me, walking up to Prague Castle, being watched by a crowd of hundreds of staring little wooden weirdos dangling from various shop windows and thinking, 'am i meant to be enjoying these? do human children really find these things charming? is anyone other than a future horror-movie protagonist really buying a two-foot marionette and taking it home in their suitcase as a tourist souvenir? dear god, why are there so many of them?'

(And thank you very much!)

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greeeengoblin · 2 months

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Aint that Batman comic the one where the writer made the Waynes, a canon Jewish family, work with Nazis in WWII? And used self harm solely for the sake of it being an offensive plot device to boost up Joker's character so he could just white knight for the fake Harley and patch up her wounds and kiss the bandages or something? And that desperately tries to convince the readers that Jokers a good dude actually and it's not his fault he's been abusive, it's just his brain. and Harley's a good person for forgiving him and understanding that it's just not his fault he's violently hurt her before? That has Harley tell their kids "Your daddy was a good man. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." about a dude who's been her abuser since the beginning of her character's history and a pairing that has a repeated pattern with DC (and their shippers) romanticizing their content together and brushing off or completely downplaying the abusive nature of his part in the relationship? Idk, I don't feel like the best Batman comic is the one that goes out of it's way to make Batman's most vile enemy a sad boy white knight and ignores the extensive history he has throughout many many universe of being an abusive, incredibly sexist maniac with one of his most famous comic plots being The Killing Joke, where he paralyzed Barbara, stripped her naked and took photos of her (aka sexual assault)

I apologize first for my bad English (i suck) and thank you for articulating the issue so clearly and extensively. Wow, buddy, you're absolutely right, but you're being too objective. My conclusion wasn't based solely on the content of the story; it was actually based on the quality of the artwork and writing, so it was a result of that rather than the 'best plot.' I didn't say 'best comic plot,' I said 'best comic.' Considering that, there are plenty of other series/movies/comics written with the aim of portraying a sadistic character like Joker in a positive light. Besides, this comic is already designed as an 'Alternate Universe,' so I have nothing to say about it, and I respect the author's perspective. Similarly, I'd like to express my respect for your perspective as well. As I said, there are many Batman comics with quality storytelling and presentation, and while I find them all excellent, White Knight stands out for me because of its charming panels and artwork. ♡

and... I LOVE HARLEY QUINN!!! OMG LOOK AT THIS!!!!

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